


Strangers

by DAsObiQuiet



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-28
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2017-12-30 17:43:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1021536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DAsObiQuiet/pseuds/DAsObiQuiet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been an ordinary training session when they showed up.  Minato really should have attacked first and asked questions later...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Minato

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kuroi_atropos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroi_atropos/gifts).



He really should have just attacked first and left the questions for later. But as ever, he was a negotiator first and a killer second. Also, when they'd first shown up, he hadn't thought anything serious could happen. After all, he was Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash and Jiraiya the Sennin's star student. He'd been training his team in a protected field in one of the most guarded cities in the world, and the ANBU were just a jutsu away. It wasn't like they were in any real danger. Besides, unlike certain red-haired ninjas, he didn't go barging in head-first without assessing the situation and thinking things through.

Still, as far as he knew, random people wearing headbands he wasn't familiar with didn't normally just pop into existence in such an area, directly in front of one of the most powerful Jounins in the hidden village without so much as a chakra residue trace. It made no sense. Even for shinobi.

As soon as they appeared on the training field, he went into protection mode and stepped between his rather stunned team and the newcomers. Then he'd assessed the group, carefully noting these shinobis' characteristics.

The blond boy could have been Minato's clone, only ten years younger. He was holding his head in his hands like it would explode if he didn't and had on (Minato noted with distaste) the most obvious, blaring, orange and black jumpsuit he'd ever seen. He pushed thoughts of how Kushina would like that to the back of his mind with a scowl. He wasn't being possessive or overprotective. He wasn't.

Forcefully, he moved to the next person in the group. This one was a girl who had a hair color almost as blaring as the first kid's jumpsuit except pink. She also had a hand to her head like the blond boy, but in her case, Minato could see a faint sheen of green chakra moving over the black, leather gloves she wore. A healer then? He'd never heard of a medic actually healing their own headaches. Assuming that's what she was treating. She wore bandages and shorts under a slitted skirt that would make movement easy. On top, she wore a red, sleeveless shirt that could hide a number of smaller weapons, Minato noted with displeasure.

The next two boys could have been brothers, if the first had been an Uchiha. He obviously wasn't as Minato could see no fans (or any identifiable marks other than the strange headband for that matter) on his person. Even Obito, who was looked down on by a good deal of the clan members for his light-hearted attitude, openly wore the Uchiha symbol.

The second boy sported the red and white fan on the sword stuffed through the large rope that held up his purple pants. They both had dark hair, dark eyes and pale skin with a porcelain-like texture, but the first one had an emotionless face where the Uchiha had an expression that could only be described as snobbish. Of the two of them, the boy with the mid-drift vest looked slightly less ridiculous in the blond Jounin's opinion. That only put Minato more on guard. The last thing he needed was to go up against an insane Uchiha.

He'd also never seen this particular Uchiha before, which opened a whole new can of worms that he decided to go over later, when he knew that the immediate threat these unknown people posed had passed.

The fifth and final member of the entourage had at least a decade and a half on the other ninja. The team leader then? He also looked, much to Minato's surprise and chagrin, almost exactly like a much older Kakashi; or a certain White Fang returned from the dead. Kakashi wouldn't like that. He glanced down at the protégé in question to see how he'd taken this rather unexpected development. Not well, the blond concluded. Kakashi wouldn't take his eyes off of the offending stranger, and his hand was creeping towards the weapons pouch strapped onto his thigh.

Right about then is when the group seemed to recover from their ailments. With an angry yell, the blond boy leapt up (either completely ignoring or not having seen Minato and the Genin at all) and raced towards the boy with the spikier dark hair.

"Sasuke…!" he quite literally growled and grabbed the teen-aged Uchiha by the collar. "What did you do?"

The boy, Sasuke, didn't so much as blink. If anything he looked even more condescending.

"You can't figure it out?" he asked. Minato had to give him props; he'd heard Kages that didn't sound that stuck up. Then the Uchiha looked over at Minato, who kept his eyes on the other's chin. He wasn't stupid enough to meet an Uchiha's gaze.

After a moment, the blond haired boy followed Sasuke's line of sight, and his eyes landed on the Genin group and their instructor. The shock on his face gave evidence that the kid was either the best actor Minato had ever met, or he'd just seen something akin to a ghost.

"Dad?" he gasped, dropping Sasuke's old-fashioned gi out of sheer surprise.

Minato blinked but didn't answer, unwilling to let them know how much the boy's reaction had thrown him off. The younger blond had said that while looking directly at him.

"Wait, 'Dad'?!" Obito asked loudly, not caring to hide his own surprise. Then he looked up at Minato who only observed the action uneasily out of the corner of his eye. "Seriously?"

"Be quiet," Kakashi hissed to his teammate, although he never took his eyes off of the newcomers. Rin didn't say anything, choosing instead to quietly watch from behind her sensei.

Sasuke glanced over those present with a long-suffering expression. Apparently he got that people wanted answers, and deigned to answer them. "I used Madara's plan against him," he said. "I manipulated the power of his jutsu to send us here so we could prevent the war. I didn't know where it would take us."

Minato tensed at the boy's explanation. Madara? That definitely gave points towards the 'insane' theory. Uchiha Madara? He was dead, wasn't he? Of course, he had heard rumors...

"Wait, Sasuke," the pink-haired girl said, stepping tentatively forward as if unsure of her words, apparently piecing something together in her mind and having a problem wrapping her head around it. "Did you really…? Was that your plan all along?"

That didn't sound too good. She'd said it like she wanted to believe it, but couldn't. There was also more than a little pain behind her question. Minato almost chuckled outright at the idea of the Uchiha being that openly distrusted. Almost.

"Since when?" she asked in a tone that Minato couldn't read.

Apparently he felt he could deign to answer her. "After I fought Itachi, Madara explained everything to me. It left too many questions unanswered. That's when I decided."

The blond boy looked especially troubled, but the girl was still the one who spoke up first. "For that long?" she asked. "How?"

Sasuke cocked his head ever so slightly, as if he were too good to say 'it doesn't matter'. "It worked," was all he confirmed as he gazed up at the moon (and yet he still managed to seem condescending. How very Uchiha).

"You..." the pink haired girl said as if finally understanding something. Then she got angry. "You put yourself _and_ us through _all of that_ just so that you could send us all on some crazy tripthat you had _no_  possible way of testing? And you didn't have the _decency_ to even tell us? How could you think that you could...and then you...aarg!" She took a deep breath, hands clenched so hard at her sides that Minato wouldn't be surprised if her fingernails had torn through the leather. Then she took a deep breath, forcibly relaxed herself and looked over at the blond boy. "He just has me in his Tsukiyomi, doesn't he," she said it as more of a statement than a question. "A little help?"

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes at her. "If I wanted to torture you with Tsukiyomi, there wouldn't be anything he could do. Three days in a moment. By the time he realized it, it would be far too late."

"Excuse me," the second dark-haired boy spoke up, his face sporting the most false smile Minato had ever seen. "Are you saying Naruto is stupid? Because I would have to agree with you."

Surprised, Minato watched the reactions of the group carefully. Was that kind of an insult in the face of such an obviously serious situation (not to mention a potential battle) normal between these people? The Uchiha didn't do anything except roll his eyes ever so slightly. The older Kakashi just shook his head and pulled out a little orange book from his weapons pouch. The pink haired girl actually smacked her forehead, and the yellow haired boy (Naruto, apparently) just groaned in defeat.

"Sai, this is a horrible time to try and make a joke!"

Sai's eyes opened and blinked at the blond boy in surprise. Then, to Minato's amazement, he what looked like a _text book_ out of his backpack and flipped to a center page right then and there. Just what kind of ninja were these people?

"'When tensions run high, it is often a good idea to break that tension with a joke or a quip. Direct it at one of the involved parties to distract them from a confrontation,'" he quoted.

"Give me that!" the pinkette said loudly, grabbing the book right out of Sai's hands.

To his credit, he didn't really react or protest. Instead, he just smiled that fake smile at the girl. "You wish to improve your own social skills, Ugly?" he asked almost sweetly. Inwardly, Minato winced. This would not end well.

Two seconds later, the boy barely managed to dodge one of the girl's punches, only getting nicked on his shoulder. He still ended up on the other side of the clearing. Minato and his team stared with wide eyes and slack jaws. The chakra control for something like that would be immense to say the least. On par with Lady Tsunade even.

"He replaced me?" the Uchiha muttered, unimpressed.

"Don't you even start or you'll be next, Sharingan or not!" the girl threatened, spinning around and pointing at him. Minato could see a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"You couldn't kill me before, what makes you think you can now?" Sasuke returned, as cool (and his tone had sounded just a touch cruel as well) as ever.

"Who ever said anything about killing you?" the girl returned, meeting his gaze full on. Either she was somehow immune or resistant to Sharingan (he doubted it considering her previous words), very brave, very crazy, or very stupid. Probably a combination of those last three. She was also probably angry enough to not care either way. "I'd like to see how you stand up to one of my punches."

The Uchiha smirked. "If you can hit me."

"Nee, nee, Sasuke, Sakura-chan-" the blond boy, Naruto if Minato remembered correctly, started.

To the Yellow Flash's surprise, they both rounded on him. "What?"

This looked like it might escalate into something too serious for Minato to get involved in with the Genin here. He was just running through the best options of getting his team out of there when Kakashi stepped past him, sword in hand and eyes narrowed at the new group of ninja.

"Who are you?" he asked coldly.

All of the newcomers stopped and looked over at them, as if seeing them for the first time. Minato frowned. He'd hoped to find out a little more about them, and as long as they ignored the young Konoha group, Minato could get them out of there with minimal risk. Later he could look back on this and laugh. Normally Obito was the impulsive one.

The group of older ninja stopped their interaction with each other and turned to stare at Kakashi, most of them simply blinking for several seconds. Then Naruto's face broke into a huge grin.

"Nee, nee, Kakashi-sensei, is that-?"

"Shut up, Naruto!" the girl practically screeched and pounded the boy's head. Either he had a lot more stamina than the other ninja, or she hadn't hit him as hard, because he only face planted (although there were cracks beneath his head). Long term teammates then. Their easy way of interacting, despite the obvious pain involved, suggested at least that level of a relationship. The way she acted towards the Uchiha suggested something a little bit deeper.

Which, unfortunately, made the situation all the more dangerous for him and his team.

"S-sakura-chan," Naruto mumbled through the dirt and rock. Minato wasn't even a hundred percent sure he'd heard the blond boy correctly through the dirt and rock.

"You haven't answered my question," Kakashi said dangerously, dropping one foot back into a ready stance. "And how do you know my name?"

That wasn't too surprising seeing as he was the son of Konoha's White Fang, the student of the Yellow Flash and a protégé to boot. Still, with the aura radiating from him Minato figured it was time to step in.

"You know, my student brings up a good question," the older blond said as a disarming smile appeared on his face. "Seeing as you are all here in Konoha, we have the right to know. Who are you?" Kakashi shot him a glare but was wise enough to keep his mouth shut.

The five (now that the battered and bruised Sai had returned) exchanged glances. None of them seemed to know what to say.

"Um..." Naruto said uneasily as he sized up Minato's Genin team for the first time, only now really recognizing the threat they represented. "Well, you see," he started.

Then the Kakashi clone stepped forward and cut him off. "We are from the future."

Minato stared at him for a moment, trying to wrap his own mind around those words. He'd never heard that one before, so at least he had to give them credit. Didn't mean he believed it was the truth for a moment, although he couldn't decide whether these shinobi really did or not. Not that it mattered. Whether his statement was true or false, these were still foreign ninja that had infiltrated Konoha and had to be treated as such. He willed the headache that he'd begun to feel rise just behind his eyes away. It didn't work.

"Wait," he said for a moment, putting a hand up to the bridge of his nose. "So you're telling me that you are all from the future, that you're my son, and that you're..." he paused as he pointed at the silver-haired ninja, who just smiled. At least, Minato thought he smiled with the way his only visible feature (his right eye) turned upside down.

"Yup."

Minato considered his options. If he just turned around and walked away, would that be considered treason? Probably. And because he was a key witness, he doubted the ANBU would just leave him alone if he did take that option into serious consideration. No, they'd drag him right into the very center of their investigation.

"Why did you tell him that, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked shrilly.

Behind Minato, Obito and Rin gasped. His Kakashi looked like he'd almost reached the point of tearing limb from limb, but otherwise had no reaction.

"Why shouldn't he have said that?" Naruto asked sounding sincerely curious and causing Minato to wonder just how naïve the kid was. "It's the truth."

"Would you believe that if someone happened to appear in front of you?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure, why not?" Naruto responded, again sounding completely sincere and rather nonchalant. Minato shook his head slowly. If this were his son from the future, had Obito raised him? He made a mental note to keep his Genin team away from his future children at all costs. The very idea of having to mentor and train an Obito with Kushina's temperament sent shivers down his spine. After all, it would be Kushina who would be his mother. There was no doubt about this in his mind.

"Naruto," Sakura groaned, sounding both annoyed and hopeless. And that quickly, the group fell back into arguments again. Minato's Genin just continued to stare at the group (albeit Kakashi's glare looked downright venomous) as they shot their facts and opinions at each other. Minato could only sigh at prospect of the obviously long night ahead of him.


	2. Kushina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kushina decides to check out the intruders' story for herself.

Uzumaki Kushina was not known for her stealth. At all. Most ninja—even in the village—probably didn't think she had a stealth mode, which is what made her ability to truly sneak so entertaining. Seriously, red hair that practically glowed in just about any light and a chakra powerful enough to turn even the most oblivious ninja's head should make her stick out like a sore thumb. Right?

 _Apparently not_ , she thought, watching two security ninja pass by in the hall below her hiding place. They hadn't even come close to noticing her. For a few moments she amused herself by imagining the looks on their faces if they ever found out they'd missed the crazy, red-headed, whirlpool kunoichi and almost couldn't hide a snicker. Almost.

Of course, if Minato or the Third or even any of her teammates learned about this, she would be in _huge_ trouble, but that also added to the entertainment value. Really this was just too fun.

Sometimes she wondered if she were just slightly masochistic. Probably something she picked up from the stupid fox.

Thing was, she _had_ to see this new boy and his teammates for herself. Of course, no one was supposed to know about them, but Minato couldn't keep secrets from her. Ibiki would probably have problems trying to really keep something quiet if Kushina wanted to know about it actually, and he was supposed to be a genius at keeping and extracting information.

She waited for just a few more minutes before dropping out of the dark corner she'd taken refuge in and sprinting easily down the hall, making sure to keep an eye out for any security cameras or seals while suppressing all of her chakra. It wasn't an easy task.

Three patrols, thirteen turns and four levels later, she found herself waiting just outside an opening that would lead to the high security cells and her targets. She had to be careful here as the area around the holding cells was designed to block and/or drain chakra. Many of them required complicated patterns of footwork or people stepping on just the right place in a seal to not trigger a trap or alarm. The problem was that those places tended to change every few days. That's why holding cells became so dangerous.

Fortunately, she had a way around it.

Unfortunately, it was a matter of timing and patience, neither of which tended to be her strong suit. Still, she was determined, and when she got like this, not even Minato could really stand in her way.

The guards would be the main problem. Right now, she needed a distraction. They'd be suspicious if she drew them away from the prisoners, so...

Taking a blow tube out of her pouch, she fitted a small pebble into it and aimed. Then she blew hard. It bounced off of the wall and into the cell area. Then a clank of rock hitting metal sounded and the guards exchanged a glance. With a nod, one of them walked into the cell area, where he wouldn't be able to feel any chakra.

Grinning, Kushina blew three more darts and four senbon needles (each covered in a sleep agent) in quick succession at the remaining guard all while throwing a light genjutsu on him to aid their effectiveness. He caught the barest hint that something was wrong just before he deflected all of the projectiles. He still wasn't fast enough to stop her from placing a cloth over his mouth though, and moments later, he was out on the floor. Then she set her trap and waited for the next guard to come out, using a mirror to watch for his return. As soon as she saw him, she began weaving her genjutsu for when he'd come out, and watched his footing carefully. She only needed about two steps into the jutsu-less area to finish her plan.

Soon the man stepped out, and she dropped her genjutsu onto him as unnoticeably as she could. Fortunately she didn't need anything elaborate or she would have been out of luck. Her chakra reserves were just too large to do anything that intricate when it came to illusions. It had taken her _years_ to get to a point where she could simply block out/change sound or create simple duplicates of one's comrades standing at their post.

She also had to make herself invisible to him, but that tended to be a little easier.

Satisfied at her handiwork, she stepped through the doors, carefully placing her feet where his had been and breathed a sigh of relief. So far so good. Taking out a small bag full of needles, she threw them to each corner of the room, and several points in the walls in the minute spaces between visible seals on each wall. Each of them had been attached to a sturdy, ninja-wire and soon enough she had a small, relatively safe web stretching across the room over the floor. After that, it was a matter of balance.

It didn't take her too long to find the cell, complete with extra runes and seals throughout the entire area. As she approached, she became aware of a strange feeling in her stomach...like it had suddenly become extremely unsettled.

For the moment, she did her best to ignore it. To get through this without being caught, she'd need to focus.

He knew she was coming, although he didn't look up. The way his shoulder muscles tensed just slightly gave it away. Instead of speaking, she took a moment to study him, surprised at how much he really looked like Minato. Except for his eye shape and the whisker marks on his cheeks. Those made her feel uneasy.

"I'll tell you anything you want," he said in a firm voice. "And I'll do whatever it takes for you to trust me. Just tell me what..." he continued as he turned around, but faded off the moment he saw her, beautiful, blue eyes widening in shock.

"Yo, ttebane," she said as she bent down near the bars separating them with a grin on her face that had made ANBU think twice before messing with her.

He simply blinked at her for a few more seconds before a much more innocent, sincere smile appeared on his. Her own expression faded when she realized how much his grin made him look like a fox. She didn't much care for foxes.

"Yo, ttebayo," he responded.

She frowned. "Are you making fun of me, ttebane?"

His eyes snapped open and he shook his head while waving his hands in the air. "No, no! I just find it funny that you use that phrase like I do, dattebayo."

"Hmph," she muttered. "You certainly don't act like him."

The kid blinked. "Who?"

Kushina rolled her eyes. "Minato, of course."

The grin returned and he sat back, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh. Yeah, I've been told that."

"Who told you?" she asked. Although that did sound like something Minato or Kakashi would say to someone they knew. They wouldn't have done so within a possible enemy nin's hearing range.

"Uh...I forget," the boy said, still grinning.

Kushina regarded him for several seconds before returning the grin. Despite her previous misgivings, she liked this kid. He didn't seem like he'd be the type to give up, and she could respect that if it proved to be true.

"So you come from the future, huh?" she asked.

"Of course, ttebayo!" Well, it seemed like he really did use that idiosyncrasy after all. "Why would we lie about that?"

She shrugged. "To get close to the Yellow Flash and kill him. To infiltrate the town and learn our secrets. There are a lot of reasons."

"Then why would we come up with something that stupid?" he muttered. "It got us locked in a cell."

"What did?"

"The truth."

That cinched it. She really liked this kid. Even if he were lying through his teeth, he had to be the best actor on the planet.

"Alright then," she said. "Convince me, dattebane."

He blinked, looking up at her with those gorgeously familiar, cerulean blue eyes. "How?"

She shrugged and crossed her arms. "You can start by telling me about your future, dattebane."

He regarded her for several seconds before shrugging his shoulders as if to say 'why not?'. "Alright, what do you want to know, dattebayo?"

She paused for a moment, then mirrored his gesture. "How about you start at the beginning."

"Sure. I guess it all really started the day we were supposed to take our graduation test at the academy..."

* * *

 

"...And that, gentlemen, concludes my report," the council member (the Sandaime didn't really bother to confirm which one as it didn't particularly matter to him at the moment) said respectfully and a silence fell over the room. The older man opened one of his eyes half-way and glanced around the room. Surely enough, the whole council had turned to look at him expectantly.

"Very well, unless there is another form of business to attend to?" he said in a calm, deep voice. No one spoke up, and the Hokage couldn't help the anticipation that washed over him. Was it just him, or did the room always get particularly hot during council meetings? Almost unbearably so. It would be such a relief to leave...like it always was. Really, he needed to make his decision about his successor quickly, and finally be rid of these pointless politics.

"Then I move to adjourn."

"Seconded," the Akamichi head said.

"The motion has been moved and seconded. Any objections?" No one spoke. "Very well then. Meeting ajourned." Slowly (all too slowly for Hiruzen), they meandered to the exit and opened the doors, only to get practically mowed down by a lovely, red-head who looked to be on a war path even more so than usual.

"Sandaime!" she practically yelled.

Suddenly he found himself almost wishing the meeting hadn't ended, heat or no.

Five minutes later, he practically collapsed into the seat in his office, motioning for the ANBU guarding him to remain hidden and turned his attention to the woman following him.

"Alright, Kushina. What is it?" he asked, lighting a lamp to chase away the darkness of evening that had settled over the city.

"They're telling the truth."

"Who?"

"The Ninja from the future."

Sandaime blinked before shaking his head. The ninja in question were supposed to be under strict surveillance. He'd ask how she got past said precautions later. "And how would you know this?"

"Ask the blond one about his future. He can describe the town and all of its changes in detail, not to mention he has several high-level code clearances. I don't know why as he claimed he never got the title of 'chunin' and he says the gray-haired one has more, but-"

"Kushina," Sandaime said as patiently as he could. "Slow down. You know that isn't proof enough for the council. Why are you suddenly taking their case?"

She bit her lip and looked down. "He grew up without me there."

"What do you mean?"

"He grew up alone in a town that hated him." When she looked up again, she had an expression he didn't often see in her blue-gray eyes; pain. Not physical but mental and emotional. The kind that didn't heal easily. "Just like I did."

"Kushina," he said with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That could easily be a sob story he came up with-"

"It isn't," she said. "And I know how to prove it."

Finally, they were getting somewhere. "Very well, then. How?"

She fixed his gaze with her own determined stare. "He claims to be the future jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox."

For several seconds the Sandaime could only stare at her, and then the implications hit and he found himself mentally reeling from them. Having two jinchuuriki's of the same tailed beast? The very thought itself was _laughable_ and _terrifying_ at the same time. How would that throw the chakra balances off to have that kind of force? If that were true it could be _world-shattering_ with the Fire Country as the epicenter of said unpredictable consequences.

Plus, it would validate the intruders' claims.

After several seconds of shocked silence, he finally decided to play it safe. "And how do we confirm that he really is the supposed vessel for the nine-tailed fox?"

She grinned grimly at him, leaning on his desk for emphasis. "Simple. He would have a seal somewhere on his body. Call Jairyia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm only using "Dattebayo" and "Dattebane" when Naruto and Kushina are together. Otherwise it just gets annoying to write. ^^; I'm not sure I'm even using them even close to correctly, so I apologize if it's blatantly wrong.
> 
> I would also like to note that this is not beta-read. Hope you like it.


	3. Jiraiya's Confirmation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Sasuke overtakes the Moon's-eye plan and uses the energy to send himself and the rest of team 7 back in time to before Obito 'died' to prevent everything from happening. Now they just have to convince the elders of Konoha that they really are from the future and they have Konoha's best interests at heart. Not an easy feat.
> 
> AN: For Kuroi's B-day again
> 
> xXx

The most annoying thing about being a shinobi from one of the hidden villages was the secrecy. There really wasn't a way around the necessity for it, but that didn't mean it wasn't bothersome. Jirayia couldn't help but sigh in fond remembrance of the lovely little town with at least two open, _co ed_ bath houses that he'd been summoned away from by order of the Hokage, and it he didn't even know _why._ The missive had just basically said 'Come. _Now_.'

Jirayia had taken to his newly established life as a wandering hermit like a fish took to water. No more brats to take care of (or show him up, he would often grumble under his breath, but never really admit out loud), no more rules or responsibilities except those he chose to keep, and a whole lot more time to actually work on his jutsu and writing.

That, and he could keep an eye out for Orochimaru. He still just couldn't quite convince himself that his teammate, the person he had thought of as a sort of brother, had done all of those horrible things no matter the evidence. He sincerely and desperately wanted to believe that it had all been a huge misunderstanding.

Shaking that thought from his head, he sighed and brought his attention back to the approaching gates of Konoha. He'd followed the missive and come back. The old man really should be grateful. He'd only been gone for a few months, and that hadn't been nearly enough time to even _start_ a decent information network, let alone set up something solid. This really had better be an emergency, or else…

Of course, while he was here he'd have to stop by and see only surviving student. He would never admit aloud how much he actually missed all of his students, no matter how he'd complained about 'the brats' before.

He allowed himself a small sight. Yet another reason why he hadn't wanted to come back: too many sad memories. Still, he was a ninja and this was the life he'd chosen.

Feeling his determination solidify, he straightened his back and strode forward, passing through the gates and waving at the chunins on gate guard duty. They recognized him almost immediately. He could tell from their star-struck expressions. Okay, even he had to admit that, no matter how painful, coming home had its perks.

He hadn't made it three blocks before he spotted Minato waiting for him, leaning nonchalantly against a building as he tossed one of those specialized kunai of his up in the air, always catching it effortlessly. Jiraiya wasn't fooled. The kid had only just gotten there himself, probably only seconds before. The Sannin found himself heaving a put upon sigh but was unable to hide the fond annoyance he felt at 'just happening' across his former student like that.

"Alright, alright," he said aloud. "You've made your point. You're good."

Minato looked up and smirked with one eyebrow raised in a mock question.

"I am surprised you'd meet me this soon, though," Jiraiya continued, interest now peaked. "You don't often wait for me."

"Who said I was waiting for you?" the blond ninja asked with feigned superiority and a large grin as he slid his kunai back into the pouch on his leg.

"Even you're not good enough to know I'm coming if you weren't actively looking," Jiraiya pointed out dryly, folding his arms.

The blond just grinned. "Are you sure about that? Apparently I'm at a Kage level now."

Jiraiya snorted, half in laughter half in annoyance. "Only just, brat."

"It's good to see you too, Sensei." He said it with a genuine smile, and Jirayia couldn't keep it up any longer. He broke into his own grin and walked forward, patting the kid on the back fondly.

As if it had been a spoken agreement, they both turned and started off down the street towards the Hokage tower. "So how is Kushina?"

Minato's smile softened and a slight blush rose to his cheeks, although no one who didn't know Minato personally would have noticed it. "She's good. Be glad she's on patrol right now, or she would have accosted you at the gate."

Jiraiya blinked in surprise, glancing over at his former student. "So Kushina's involved too, huh?"

"Apparently, we all are," the Yellow Flash responded, his voice gaining just a touch of sadness.

"What do you mean?"

Minato rubbed his chin. "It's rather difficult to explain."

"It's really that bad?"

For the first time in a long time, Jiraiya caught the unsure expression crossing the brat's face. He looked as if he couldn't decide. "I don't know if I would say 'bad'."

"But not good?"

Minato sighed. "Truthfully, Sensei, I don't know. With risk of sounding like a Nara, the situation is rather troublesome."

"Troublesome?"

"We needed a fuuinjutsu expert to confirm something for us."

Jiraiya's forehead furrowed. "And you and Kushina couldn't because…?"

"Apparently we're too close to the situation for the council's liking," Minato responded, tone just a little too dark for Jiraiya's liking. He looked over and really scrutinized his former student for several seconds. Did he feel the council didn't trust him? That wasn't good. It could divide a city if the council and the Kage (future or not) were at odds, and a divided city rarely stood against an opponent…and they would undoubtedly have opponents in the near future. After all, they were in the middle of a war, albeit a lull in the actual fighting, but everyone knew the temporary, unspoken peace wouldn't last. They just didn't know when the tension between Iwagakure and Konoha would break again. Personally, Jiraiya gave it two months, tops.

"I haven't heard you speak against the council like that for a long time," Jiraiya said quietly.

Minato caught the subtle reprimand, but only looked marginally repentant. That only worried Jiraiya even more. This was personal somehow. Very personal.

"Does it have to do with Kushina?" he asked.

Minato contemplated that. "Yes, but not in the way you're thinking," he responded finally.

"Alright, I give up, what is it? Really?"

"I'll wait for the Hokage to explain it to you," Minato said with a sigh. "I still don't really believe it myself."

And cue the confusion.

"Huh?" Jiraya couldn't help but saying aloud. What had he meant by that? Jiraya had been summoned for something Minato didn't believe had happened? That made no sense, even for ninja.

Minato's wry smile returned. "Exactly."

xXx

Jiraiya glared at the brat that had just been escorted into the room, scowl firmly in place. Behind him, Kushina had fallen on the Hokage's desk, pounding it as she laughed loudly, tears beginning to gather in the corner of her eyes.

"It's not funny!" Jiraiya growled. The fact that Minato was trying to hide a smile behind his hand and even the Sarutobi looked highly amused did not help. Two of the three council members—one, a Yamanaka Jiraiya didn't know, the second, Nara Shikaku—both looked surprised and amused while the third council member—Danzo—happened to be the only one that seemed to be able to look at the situation with a stoic, if disapproving scowl.

The Minato clone, supposedly his student's son from the future (and wasn't _that_ a mindscrew?), could certainly pass for what he claimed to be. He had his supposed 'father's' looks and Kushina's brash attitude all combined under a horribly bright smile as he grinned brightly up at the Sennin.

"I am _not_ perverted!" Jiraiya insisted. Kushina only snorted and laughed louder. Minato couldn't seem to look at him and Sarutobi had taken to following Minato's example, hiding his own smile behind his hand.

"Sure you're not," the kid said, still continuing his grin. Jirayia noted that, while he still looked a great deal like Minato, that smile was nothing if not foxish.

Danzo cleared his throat. "Are we going to continue as planned?" he asked, voice thick with disapproval. The kid's smile dimmed ever so slightly as he turned his attention to the speaker, gaze untrusting. Then the expression vanished and he reached up to unzip his jacket.

Orange. Yes, Jiraiya could see him being Kushina's son.

"Yeah, let's get this over with! Then we can work on fixing the future!"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, some of his annoyance slipping away. "Fixing the future, huh?"

The kid's expression suddenly sobered and it almost took Jiraya's breath away to see how much like Minato he looked when he was serious. "Yeah. A lot of things get really bad," he said with a very serious voice.

Everyone in the room seemed to exchange glances.

"How bad, exactly?" the Toad Sage asked warily.

The kid sighed. "Well, not _everything_ is bad. A lot of good things happened too."

"Like what?" This time it was Shikaku who spoke up, looking as bored as ever except for the interested glint in his eye. So the Nara believed the kid? Well that was a surprise.

"Well, all five nations join together into a single army. That was pretty cool. I heard all five Kages fought together, including Tsunade-baa-chan."

Danzo snorted in disbelief while everyone else looked on in astonishment. All five nations working together? As one? Jiraiya couldn't think up a situation where that could ever possibly happen, especially between Iwagakure and Konoha. Or Kirigakure and…well, anyone else.

"Tsunade as Hokage?" Sarutobi asked, eyes just as wide as Jiraiya's.

"Yeah! Why not?"

Danzo cleared his throat again. The kid shot a dark look at him, but reached up and pulled the black t-shirt he'd had on beneath his jacket over his head, messing up the blond spikes even more.

"So what do you want me to do to prove I have Kurama inside of me?"

For the third time in about as many minutes everyone, even Danzo this time, stared in shock at the blond teenager.

"K-Kurama?" Kushina managed to get out, sounding both shaken an awed at the same time.

For a moment the kid blinked around the room before closing his eyes for just a moment. A few seconds later he opened them again and put a hand up to his head, rubbing it in embarrassment. "Oops. I…wasn't supposed to tell you his name."

Jiraiya actually choked. "That's the Kyuubi's name?" he asked at the same time Kushina spoke up.

"He has a name?"

Naruto blinked as he looked over at her. "Of course he does. Why wouldn't he?"

"Uh," Minato spoke up, sounding only slightly uncertain. Jiraiya hadn't heard that tone from him for quite a while. "Naruto, just channel some chakra. It should make the seal show up. Then we can examine it."

The kid, Naruto apparently, rubbed his head again. "That's it? Okay then."

With that, he put his hands together and closed his eyes in concentration. Almost instantly, a seal appeared on Naruto's stomach. Jiraiya and Minato both gasped.

"M-minato?" Kushina suddenly said worriedly, voice sounding strained. Jiraiya spared the barest glance at her she looked pale and stiff, like she was bracing against something. That would make sense, though if a second Kyuubi Jinchuuriki happened to be channeling charka close by…not that the entire situation made any sense at all, but hey.

"Minato, get her out of here," Jiraiya said as he knelt down to have a closer look. His tone left no room for argument.

Naruto looked up worriedly, but didn't stop channeling charka.

"Oh no you don't," Kushina started, but Jiraiya interrupted her.

"Now!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jiraiya could see Kushina's eyes widen, surprised at his unusually serious tone. Minato nodded and went over to her.

"But," she started.

"Please," Jiraiya heard Minato say. Glancing between her boyfriend and her future son—for Jiraiya was convinced that the boy was indeed telling the truth—she seemed torn, but finally gave in and reluctantly allowed herself to be led out of the room.

"What is it?" Sarutobi asked, his own voice serious now.

Jiraiya paused, wondering where exactly to start. "This is an eight-tiagrams seal," he said, then hesitated for a moment and amended, "well, a variation."

"Variation?" the Third said slowly.

Jiraiya ran a hand through his hair. "I could go into the history behind the seal and its uses, but I only know a handful of people who could pull this off." He paused, still studying the seal. "It almost looks as if it's been destroyed and reconstructed," he muttered. "I can see the charka residue of an older seal, but it looks like the same seal. Or, the original eight tiagrams…" he faded off.

"Wow, you can tell all that, Ero-sannin?" Naruto asked, sounding impressed.

"Is it the seal of a Jinchuuriki?" Shikaku asked.

"Yes," Jiraiya said with a nod.

"That doesn't prove anything except that he is indeed a Jinchuuriki," Danzo said.

"Then why did Uzumaki-san have such a reaction?" the Yamanaka said, speaking up for the first time.

"That could have just been a reaction to another Jinchuuriki."

"It wasn't," Minato's voice sounded. Everyone looked to the window to see him step calmly down. "Kushina has come across other Jinchuuriki before. She said she never felt this kind of a reaction."

Naruto's eyes widened. "She did? Who? I wonder if they're all the same…"

Minato eyed his future son for a moment, but then shook his head. "It doesn't matter at the moment. What does matter is who sacrificed themselves to seal the tailed beast in you?"

A shocked silence fell over the room.

"No, what really matters," Danzo said with a steely edge to his voice, "is whether or not that really is the nine tailed fox sealed inside of him! You have yet to prove that it is!"

Silence fell over the room for several seconds. Then Naruto stood up again, hands dropping to his sides.

"Well how do you expect me to prove something like that?" Naruto asked, tone sounding put-out.

Danzo looked over him with a disdainful sniff. "I don't."

"Yamanaka-san," Jiraya said to the quiet council member who had been watching everything with concern. "Could you enter his mindscape and see?"

The blond man's expression suddenly went from concerned to downright wary. "I…believe so," he said finally, his voice quiet and uncertain.

"I'll make sure Kurama doesn't do anything to you," Naruto said with a grin.

The council member raised an eyebrow as he looked at the younger boy. "You don't mind if I use my clan techniques on you?"

"Sure. If it proves I'm telling the truth then it's all good, dattebayo!" Jiraya felt his eye twitch at the verbal tic. Definitely Kushina's son.

The Yamanaka looked over at the Hokage who nodded in return. "Very well then," he said and stepped forward to put a hand on Naruto's head.

He muttered the technique under his breath as his chakra flared and the room went quiet as everyone watched with baited breath. Then, after only a few minutes, Yamanaka-san jumped back and away from Naruto, snatching his hand back as if it had been bitten.

"Well?" the Sandaime asked.

The council member schooled the expression of shock and fear on his face before turning to face the Hokage.

"He's telling the truth. The demon sealed inside of him is indeed the 9-tailed demon fox!"


	4. Danzo and Hizashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Summary: While Minato is training his students during a rare ceasefire in the 3rd Ninja War, 5 strangers show up claiming to be from the future. Chaos ensues. With Kushina and Jiraiya's help, they have established that Naruto is indeed a second Jinchuuriki of the 9-tailed-fox.

"You can't really believe this nonsense, can you, Hiruzen?" Danzo growled as he stood stoically in the Sandaime Hokage's office, not taking his visible eye off his old rival. His posture remained calm and loose, an excellent example of how a ninja should be, shrouding his true feelings from the world. Danzo's inner world raged in an inferno of disbelief, frustration and anger. This situation had to many unknown variables, to many things he couldn't account for, and he hated things he could not accounted for. He'd need to severely recalculate his plans.

And Hiruzen, being the old fool he was, had bought their story, hook, line, and sinker. Not that Danzo didn't respect the current Hokage (he was at least better than the yellow haired brat he's chosen to succeed him). On the contrary, he held a great deal of regard for Hiruzen, as the man was a powerful ninja and a fairly competent leader, but he lacked vision—or rather, true vision. Hiruzen seemed stuck in his dream world where everyone got along with enough hard work, but Danzo had long since grown tired of being the only Konoha ninja with the common sense to see that the world didn't work like that.

As if to validate his perspective on the current Hokage, the old fool spoke up, "Danzo, they do have some compelling evidence." He held up a hand to forestall Danzo's next comment, "I do realize that it is circumstantial, with the exception of the second Kyuubi. Do you have an explanation for that?"

Danzo waved his hand as if to bat the comment away. "Even the Yamanakas' knowledge of mindscapes is limited. Who is to say that what Yamanaka-san saw wasn't a mental construct designed to look like the Kyuubi? And how could there be two of them? Theoretically, having the same biju near an exact copy of itself should warp space and time irreparably. The logical conclusion is that this is just a con. A well executed con, I'll grant, but still just a con."

Hiruzen nodded, as if to say he'd consider the point, though his next words belied that. "We've also had no recorded success with time travel jutsu. There have been, however, several attempts. It is obvious our theories are not complete. But who is to say we could not learn to complete one in the future? The idea is not completely implausible."

Even Danzo could not completely deny the implication of those words, especially as they were obviously well-thought-out and currently coming from "The Professor." Didn't mean he had to like or agree with them. He decided to try another approach.

"Sandaime-sama..." he started.

The Third Hokage cut him off, "Danzo, have you stopped to consider what it would mean if they are telling the truth? The possibilities this opens up?"

Danzo paused and stared at the village leader. Yes, he had considered it, he'd be a fool not to, and Shimura Danzo was no fool. So, quietly, he spoke his mind, " Just because we would like it to be true does not make it so."

Hiruzen stared back, "You think I should reject the idea, based solely on that philosophy?"

Danzo knew a verbal trap when he heard one, but felt it was better to disarm this one. "Of course not, Sandaime-sama. I merely felt it prudent to point this out."

Hiruzen nodded, "Good, because if I did judge everything like that then I would reject not just the bad, but every good thing that came before me. Progress would be impossible.

"That being said, I do see where you are coming from. I am not taking their word on blind faith, nor am I giving them free range of the village. I've already assigned ninja to escort and watch them, indefinitely."

"So you have already turned foreign, unknown ninja out into Konoha?" Danzo heard himself ask incredulously.

"Not yet." Hiruzen said coldly before continuing on where he'd left off. "We will be vigilant and question any inconsistencies in their stories, because as Hokage, I would be remiss in my duties to dismiss the possibility that you are correct. However, I would be just as remiss to dismiss their claims without irrefutable proof."

At that point, Danzo realized that it was the end of the discussion, and that continuing to argue would be counterproductive.

"Hai, Saindame-sama," he said with a respectful bow, before turning on his heel and leaving that office for his own.

He would do what he had always done, and be ready to clean up Hiruzen's mess from the shadows. Or prevent it entirely, as even elite ninjas ran afoul of "unfortunate" accidents.

He signaled to one of his loyal men that there would be an emergency meeting. He already had plans in place to protect Konoha, even from its Hokage's foolishness. Now it was just a matter of implementing them.

xXx

Hizashi Hyuuga _hated_ guard duty. There were times when he wondered why he'd even bothered to become a chuunin at all (family pride aside). In truth, he missed the old days with his genin team, trying new things, going on adventures...getting away from Konoha and the nightmare that was his home. The waving and the bowing and the posturing and the thrice cursed caged bird seal...

Still, he was a Konoha ninja and a Hyuuga and he knew better than to shirk on his duty. The only way he would get a mission he liked would be to complete his current one with exemplary reviews. It wasn't as if he didn't know the importance of this particular mission either. Guard duty _was_ extremely important and part of what kept Konoha safe. It didn't mean he had to like it. He didn't even know who they were guarding. No one did, as far as he knew. He'd only been allowed to check on them with the Byakugan, and their characteristics weren't familiar in the slightest. Then again, it wasn't a chuunin's place to know.

So he stood silently next to his current partner, another random chuunin he did not know very well, and remained vigilant. He still had a good half an hour of duty left before they were supposed to be relieved. It wouldn't be long now (although still all too long in his opinion).

Which was why an ANBU showing up out of nowhere not five minutes later startled him. He immediately went into defensive mode and activated his Byakugan. Thankfully, the guard gave all the correct hand signals and pass codes. Hizashi nodded and backed down, although he didn't quite relax.

"My apologies, Hyuuga-san," the ANBU started with a bow. "But Miroku-san has had a time-sensitive mission assigned to him. I was tasked to come and get him as soon as possible. I have already sent for your replacements to come and relieve you, but Miroku-san is to come with me immediately."

Hizashi frowned. This was highly irregular and he was already planning on putting it into his report. Still, there wasn't much he could do about it now, so he simply nodded in acknowledgment and watched as they left. Then he conjured a bunshin with a henge in his former companion's place. He really needed to increase his chakra reserves and try to get an elemental bunshin or kage bunshin down. He was determined to make Jounin by the end of the year and having something like that under his belt would definitely help that along. Not to mention it would come in handy at a time like this. It wasn't too difficult to see through a bunshin. It was far more of a challenge to see through a more solid bunshin. Still, he'd do what he could and wait.

As he had his byakugan activated anyway, when he had his henged bunshin in place, he moved into a position where he could check the prisoners again. It wasn't always possible to do as the cell had been lined with seals that redirected their sight, not an easy feat but one Uzumaki seal masters had accomplished (not that the clan elders had been too happy about that).

The older prisoner hadn't moved. Three of the younger (or at least smaller) ones—including the one with chakra so bright it almost hurt to look at—were pacing in their cells. The last of the smaller ones hadn't moved an inch as far as he knew, simply sitting in one corner and doing nothing else. At least, that had been true before. Now he stood and looked directly at Hizashi. It was unnerving to say the least.

And were those...hand signals? Yes. Konoha hand signals.

Just _what_ was going on?!

_I need to speak with the Hokage immediately. Life or death._ And it was accompanied by a hand signal that meant they should override normal procedure. No one outside of Konoha should know that. Not that there weren't leaks, but still...

Of course, that left Hizashi in a very bad position. Normally in a situation such as this, he would leave his companion on guard duty while he went and informed the Hokage or someone of higher rank that he trusted implicitly. However, the only thing he could do at this point was wait for his replacements to come and then report. He wasn't about to abandon his post, but there were too many strange factors in this for him to just ignore the kid. Perhaps it would have been easier to judge if he'd had any idea who was in there or why. For all he knew it could be for their own protection just as much as it could be for Konoha's.

Fortunately he didn't have to wait long. As soon as his replacements came, he checked out with the normal procedure before going directly to the Hokage tower to request an audience. Fortunately it didn't take long before he was allowed in and permitted to explain what had happened to the Sandaime.

Once he had finished reporting, the older man remained silent for several seconds before he snapped his fingers. Immediately, two ANBU appeared at his side.

"Help Hyuuga-san escort the prisoner here," he said. "Immediately. Do not inform anyone else. This is currently an A-rank secret."

Hizashi couldn't help but be surprised that he would be included in this. He had a feeling that this went far above his rank (the A-rank secret didn't do anything to alleviate that suspicion either). Even the fact that he was a Hyuuga, one of the most esteemed families in Konoha, shouldn't buy him leeway in this case if even half of what he suspected was true.

His guess was that they were protecting informants or defectors (most likely from Iwa if this level of security had been taken) and that one of the 'defectors' was actually a deep-implant spy from Konoha originally and that was the one who had given hand signals. He'd probably been doing so for a while, hoping for a Hyuuga to see him...but that didn't make complete sense to Hizashi. Why hadn't he said something to his guards? Why had he taken a chance on the Hyuuga being there? Why hadn't he told his ANBU guards beforehand?

It wouldn't be difficult for a half-decent ninja to deduce where the entrance to the dungeon was and just randomly give signals, but the timing was just too much of a coincidence for Hizashi. How could he have known—through a chakra dampening field that could cut off all but perhaps the most potent seals, and those would have to be connected to a seal network that a Hyuuga branch member could only guess at—that Hizashi's partner had suddenly left? And why? Was there something about Hizashi in particular that had caught the prisoner's eye (or senses or whatever the heck he had)? Or had there been something about his partner that the prisoner hadn't liked? Did they have a spy in their own midst? It wasn't inconceivable, but still highly unsettling to say the least.

His head swam as he thought all of this and he couldn't seem to come up with any concrete answers—he didn't have Hiashi's deductive skills—but he guessed he'd either be getting those answers very soon, or he'd be dismissed once he delivered the prisoners and he'd have to figure it out later...if at all.

The two ANBU retrieved the person in question while Hizashi gave them the scroll signed by the Hokage and all of the correct pass codes. A few minutes later, the prisoner was carried out in an unconscious heap over one of the ANBU's shoulders. They bid the guards farewell and left, flying as quickly over the streets of Konoha as they could. Hizashi was actually rather proud of himself for being able to keep up with ANBU. He hoped they weren't pacing themselves slowly for him, but he didn't think so.

They got to the tower and went through the window into the Hokage's office. Hizashi had never done that before. He always had wondered why the Hokage left such an obvious hole in his security. Now, he supposed, it made more sense. Personal guards and the like could bypass anyone that might gossip and get to the Hokage far more quickly.

The ANBU tied the prisoner to the waiting chair and then released the jutsu that was keeping him asleep. As the boy woke, Hizashi took more of a chance to examine him. He had very pale skin and an almost expressionless face. He also had nothing covering his mid-drift, and was otherwise dressed almost completely in black. Typical ninja sandals, regulation black pants, a short vest and stretched shirt on top, fingerless gloves and well-groomed hair. Basically, this boy could easily pass for a girl.

It didn't take him long to fully awaken. As soon as he did, he scanned the room, taking in everyone in it. Then he smiled an absolutely fake smile at the Hokage.

"Thank you for seeing me, Hokage-sama. I have to say, though, that I will only speak in front of you, Hyuuga-san over there, the Yondaime, Kushina-san or Jiraiya-san."

The Sandaime balked at the kid's nerves. He had to have balls of steel. Chakra reinforced steel.

The Hokage frowned. "My ANBU are my most trusted ninja."

The boy's smile never left his face. "Nevertheless, I must insist on those terms."

The Professor hummed and thought over the situation for a few moments before waving his hand. The ANBU vanished.

"All ANBU, Hokaga-sama," the boy insisted. The older man raised an eyebrow that seemed both reproachful and approving before he motioned with his hand and yet another two ANBU appeared at his side. "Get Minato and tell him to meet me here, now."

"Hai, Hokgae-sama," both of the ANBU said, but even Hizashi could sense the disapproval coming from them. Once they left, the Sandaime turned an expectant eye to the boy.

"I believe you said your name was Sai, correct?"

The boy nodded. Alright, that smile was really starting to freak Hizashi out. Just how long would he keep forcing it?

"Hai, Sandaime-sama. Please forgive my insistence, but you see, I could not call myself a loyal Konoha ninja if I did not tell you about Root."

The Hokage frowned. Hizashi couldn't help but be confused. What was Root? And a loyal Konoha ninja? That supported his theory of a deep-cover spy at least.

"It was disbanded more than three years ago," the Hokage said.

At that, the boy opened his eyes and the smile vanished, replaced by a completely blank expression that was somehow even creepier than that smile. Hizashi had the feeling that this was the true ninja's real face...a face that showed no emotion whatsoever. That went beyond creepy and into downright scary territory.

"No, Hokage-sama," the boy said in a flat tone that still somehow conveyed the earnestness of the statement, "it was not. I would not speak to anyone else because I did not know who I could trust until recently." At that, he turned and looked at Hizashi over his shoulder.

"Hyuuga-san, could you come and lift the sleeve to my right shoulder?"

The Hokage frowned. "If you try anything, you will regret it."

Sai looked solemnly at the older man. "You have my word, Hokage-sama. On my life and on the lives of my friends, I will not try to escape or kill anyone before I leave this office."

No one missed the loophole he'd given himself. They probably weren't supposed to. Hizashi still wasn't sure he'd trust the boy, but the Hokage must have deemed it an acceptable risk because he sighed and nodded to Hizashi.

Carefully, the Hyuuga branch member walked forward, never taking his eyes off of the boy and making sure his Byakugan was activated. He did note a slight gathering of chakra on the boy's skin where he'd asked Hizashi to expose. A seal then?

He lifted the stretchy fabric to reveal the strangest marking Hizashi had ever seen. It looked nothing like normal seals as it seemed to consist of nothing but squiggly lines. The Hokage, on the other hand, recognized it immediately.

"A six-point com-origin seal. I must say I'm impressed. I only know a few seal masters who could pull that off. Who put that on you?"

Sai's gaze suddenly sharpened. "The same person who put this on me." He opened his mouth and revealed what looked to be a faded seal consisting of straight lines. The Hokage's eyes widened even further.

Hizashi wasn't sure it was his place to ask, but he decided the Hokage would tell him if he didn't need to know. He was, after all, the only other ninja there besides the Hokage at this point. Hiashi always did say he was too curious for his own good.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but if I may ask, what are those seals? What do they do? And what is Root?"

The Professor sat back in his desk, fingertips touching in front of him. Apparently he deemed Hizashi worthy of the answers because he spoke up a few minutes later. "The six-point com-origin seal is one of the most powerful network seals in existence. It is also said to be one of the most painful. It connects whoever has it to a network of people—anyone else who was given the seal by the same person. The remnant of the seal on his tongue would have stopped him from talking about certain things, on pain of death. I have learned of these seals before, but have never seen them used.

"As for Root, it was supposed to be an elite ANBU force that took the most secret jobs. They would, in theory, do the dirty work that would potentially break other, more visible, ninja—even those in ANBU. However, after seeing the puppets that the program turned out, I deemed it too morally corrupt. It goes against everything Konoha stands for. Many of those who knew supported my decision...but then again, many didn't."

Hizashi could only stare in shock. Those seals...just who would do that to someone? That had to be something Iwa had given him because no one in Konoha...they wouldn't...right? And Root? What kinds of jobs...no, he was sure he didn't want to know, but his mind supplied him with a rather long list of possible missions. Assassinating children, torture of otherwise loyal ninja, severe destruction on a large scale...and that was just scratching the surface.

The boy, Sai, shook his head. His next words shook the Hyuuga to the very core."I grew up a part of Root, Hokage-sama, and the person who gave this to me was the same man who kept the organization alive and headed it personally. Shimura Danzo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yup. Not dead. Plodding along. Seriously, one chapter a year. Please don't expect more. It just won't happen. Sorry.


End file.
